The present disclosure relates to image forming apparatuses such as copiers and printers, and, in particular, to image forming apparatuses including a detachable/attachable toner storage container for storing toner to be supplied to a developing device.
Powder developers are mainly used in image forming apparatuses using an electro-photographic method, such as copiers, printers, and facsimile machines, and in a process generally performed in such image forming apparatuses, an electrostatic latent image formed on an image carrier, such as a photosensitive drum, is visualized with toner as a developer stored in a developing device, the toner image is transferred onto a recording medium, and then the toner image is fixed on the recording medium through fixing processing.
In a conventional image forming apparatus, an amount of toner in a toner storage container is detected by using a toner sensor, and when the toner in the toner storage container is used up, a message urging replacement of the toner storage container, for example, is displayed on a display. In response to such a message, the user replaces the toner storage container with a new one.
Here, however, the user sometimes makes a mistake of replacing the toner storage container with a new one even though it is not an appropriate time for the replacement, or removes the toner storage container by mistake.
To prevent such mistakes, a known image forming apparatus is provided with a lock mechanism for locking the toner storage container to the apparatus main body, such that when an appropriate time comes for replacing the toner storage container, the locking is released to allow the toner storage container to be detachable/attachable. Such an image forming apparatus is provided with a solenoid which opens/closes a stopper to switch between locked and unlocked states of the toner storage container.